Baby walker



NOV. 5, 1940. G, B, HANSBURG 2,220,238

BABY WALKER Filed April 8, 1938 i zg 428 246477135 'j 1N VENTOR.

Patented Nov. 5, 1940 FiliTED STATES BABY WALKER George B. Hansburg,Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to The Frank F. Taylor Company, Norwood, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application April s, 1938, serial No. 200,934

6 Claims.

This invention relates to exercisers and is herein disclosed as embodiedin the vehicle known as a baby jumper or baby walker.

Baby walkers have proved very helpful in training little children towalk and to give them needed exercise in a way that appeals to thechild.

Usually these walkers have included a pair of rear wheels which, to alarge extent carry the weight of the child by a seat above the wheels.They also usually include a pair of swivelled front wheels which givestable front support to the vehicle.

Usually the seat-is a board which is narrowed in front to form a narrowboard constituting a reach or chassis which extends to the front wheelmounting and the child sits or walks while straddling the narrowed frontof the seat.

Some health authorities have seriously objected to the usual baby walkerbecause the narrowed board in front is insuciently narrowed, with theresult that the board forces the baby to walk with its legs spreadapart, and, moreover, holds the baby too confined, overtiring the baby.

According to the present invention these and other diculties andobjections are overcome and a baby walker is provided which issatisfactory to the health authorities, economical to build, comfortablefor the baby, and may be easily adjustable.

In the form disclosed, the usual seat may terminate where it narrows,and the narrow board is replaced by a metal Stringer which is suitablyconnected to the front wheel mountings. The child in the walker in theform shown, generally sits on a thick pad or mat which covers much orall oi the seat and extends out over the metal Stringer to near thefront wheel mountings.

In the form shown the rubber mat is about half an inch thick and soft,almost as soft as a soft rubber sponge. ln this form of the invention,the Stringer may be a U-beam made of thin metal, and the rubber mat mayinclude a iin iitting in the .open U and out to rest against the ends ofbolts therein, with the result that the U-bea-m holds the mat inposition on the seat and keeps it from slipping sideways.

It will be noted that the present invention provides a constructionwhich does away with the wasteful cutting away of overwide boardhitherto needed, and does away with the need for building up a wide seatupon a narrow board, and at the same time gives a stronger structure,and a very sanitary one, since the rubber mat is easily removed andwashed.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

Figure 1 is a side view partly diagrammatical showing a baby walkerembodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan View taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

One form of-baby walker shown in Figure 1 includes rear wheels Ijournalled :on an axle Il which is carried by struts I2, which support aseat i3 by springs diagrammatically shown at I4.

The axle Il is shown as held against moving backward or forward by astrut l5 which is shown as attached by a bolt I6 to a U-shaped member I1forming part of a chassis or reach Il. In the form shown, the babywalker also includes front wheels IS journalled on axles I9 which arecarried in forks mounted so asto swing on vertical pivots l2l on atransverse bar 22. In the form shown the transverse bar 22 is xed to afront member 23 which carries a U-member 24, and to the U-member, isconnected by a bolt 25, a strut 26 which goes down to the cross bar 22.

In the form shown the U-bar 24 telescopes into the U-bar Il so that theyeffective length of the reach may be varied by releasing bolts i6 and25 which are shown as passing through slots 2l in the U-members Il and24 and threaded into nuts 28 which lie within suitable openings intheinner U-member 24.

Such adjustment is possible because the side walls 29 of the seat back30 are bent over to form hollows 3l into which ythe ends of the rodsv 32telescope and are slidable, said rods 32 yforming side members of aframe 33 which goes to the upright 34 of the handle bar 34. Y

The U-bar ll is shown as provided with wings 35 which may be formed bystraightening out the sides of the U so they are flat, with the resultthat they lie on the bottom of a flat rabbet 36 in the flat top of theseat i3. The wings 35 are held to the seat by suitable screws 3l.

The front U-bar 24 is shown as provided with similar wings t8, whichenter a kerf or -slot 39 cut into the end of the front member 23, and asheld by screws lll which pass through kthe front member 23.

The seat I3 is usually of wood and according to the present invention,may have a straight front 4I just protecting the edges of the wings 35.

Upon the front part of the seat i3, according to the present invention,there is provided a mat 42, lying within a rabbetted portion 43 of theseat I3, and curving from each end 44 of the seat in a gradual sweep toabout midway of the reach formed by the U-members l1 and 24 and thenceextending straightforward, covering the U-members and overlying part ofthe front member 23. In the form shown the mat 42 is nearly half an inchthick, and from the edges beginning at each end 44, there depends acurtain 45 which may be somewhat thinner but is nevertheless preferablythick enough to form a considerable cushion, said curtain 45 extendingpreferably about as low as the bottom of the U-members l5 24 and I1.

The mat has been found satisfactory if made of a rubber compositionwhich resembles sponge rubber in its softness but absorbs almost nomoisture. The mat 42 in the form shown includes `a central iin 46 lyingwithin the U of theinner'U-member 24 and cut away at 41 and 48 toaccommodate the long projecting ends of the bolts 25 and I6, thusholding the mat seat on the U-member and limiting its backward andforward movement.

If desired, the mat may be cemented down to the seat I3 and the frontmember 23 but it is usually found more satisfactory to hold it in placeby grommets 49 at each corner of the seat i3 through which pass screws,and by similar grommet 5 at the rear end of the rabbet 36 and behind thewings 35.

' To enable the same mat or cushion 42 to fit various lengths of thereach Il, 24, it is provided with more than one grommet 52 at its frontend, three grommets 52 being shown, thus a screw may t in a single screwhole for all the grommets.

' I t is found that a child using the seat of the present invention,finds the mat 42 and its cur- 40 tains 45 comfortably rounding corners53 where the reach springs from the seat I3, and at the same time doesnot strain the childs legs so that lthe bones in them tend to bend, orthe muscles tend to tire.`

In the use of baby walkers in the past there has been some criticism onthe part of doctors that a wide Ystrip between the childs legs, tends todevelop a bowlegged condition when the child is standing erect inwalking position. With my newconstruction, since the soft flexiblecurtains 45 will ex, distort or compress inwardly, this tendency towardunnatural spreading of the childs legs in the crotch, in the walkingposition, is overcome. The legs of the child, in walking 55 position,due to the inward flexing of the side edges of the soft curtains 45, inresponse to pressure by the inner portions of the childs legs, is

substantially the same as if no support was provided by the reach andinwardly compressible cur- 60 tains.

It is found that a mat of the character described, provides an adequatewidth for comfort when fitted over a U-member having its maximum widthof three quarters of an inch. To pre- 65 vent the upper part of theU-members from cutting into the rubber, or making too sharp an angle,they are shown as turned over at 55.

The device is shown with `the usual rubber covered buffers 56, and otherparts may be rubber covered such as the rods 32.

Itv Will be noted that the fin 46 of the mat 42 prevents adjustment ofthe reach Il, 24, unless 1. A vehicle having a broad wheel-supportedseat and a wheel-supported front, a narrow metal U-bar forming a reachfrom theseat to the front, and a thick pad covering at least part of theseat and having a tongue lying within the U and which overlies the reachso that a child on the seat sits at least partly on the pad andstraddles the pad on the reach.

2. A vehicle having a broad wheel-supported seat and a wheel-supportedfront, a narrow metal U-bar forming a reach from the seat to the frontand including internal projections within the U, and a thick padcovering at least part of the seat and having a tongue with depressionsto engage the projections and lying Within the U and which overlies thereach so that a child on the seat sits at least partly on the pad andstraddles the pad on the reach.

3. A baby walker having a broad wheel supported seating portion and awheel supported front portion, a relatively rigid bar forming a reachfrom the seating portion to the front por-` tion, and soft flexiblecushioning means covering said reach and having side edges or curtainsextending substantially out beyond the side edges of the coveredrelatively rigid bar, said side edges being distortable and inwardlycompressible with the pressure of the inside portions of a childs legsthereagainst. i

4. A baby walker having a broad wheel supported seating portion and awheel supported front portion, a relatively rigid bar forming a reachfrom the seating portion to the front portion, and soft flexiblecushioning means covering said reach and having side edges or curtainsextending substantially out beyond the side edges of the coveredrelatively rigid bar, said side edges being distortable and inwardlycompressible with the pressure of the inside portions of a childs legsthereagainst, and interengaging means on said reach bar and flexiblecushioning means for maintaining the central portion of said cushioningmeans in position covering said reach.

5. A baby walker having a broad wheel supported seating portion and awheel supported front portion, a relatively'rigid bar forming a reachfrom the seating portion to the front portion and flexible rubber pad,extending from the seating portion to said front portion and coveringsaid reach, said pad being substantially wider than said reach andhaving side portions which are inwardly compressible and distortablewith pressure thereagainst of the inner portion of the childs legs inwalking position.

6. A baby walker having a broad wheel supported seating portion and awheel supported front portion, a relatively rigid bar forming a reachfrom the seating portion to the front portion and flexible rubber pad,extending from the seating portion to said front portion and coveringsaid reach, said pad being substantially wider than said reach andhaving side portions which are inwardly compressible and distortablewith pressure thereagainst of the inner portion of the childs legs inwalking position, and means for retaining the flexible rubber pad inposition covering the reach bar.

GEORGE B. I-IANSBURG.

